Rear hatch scratch - touch up or whole shebang

[gyme]

Having driven a Nissan Pathfinder for the last couple of years, I wasn't thinking about how much higher my two week old 2004 Limited Titanium Runner sits when I opened the rear hatch in my garage.

Needless to say - a portion of the rear hatch, about 3 inches below the license plate hit the metal garage door handle and now I have a scratch about 1/2 inch long and maybe 1/16 inch wide that is deep enough to show a dark grey undercoat (primer maybe?) - and has rouch edges.

Anyway - my question is this: if I take it to a bodyshop that repairs that sort of thing - are they going to have to paint the whole hatch, or will they be able to just touch it up.

I know it sounds like a stupid question, but I once had some scratches dealt with on an '94 Acura Integra bumper, and they had to paint the whole dang thing.

 

[Mark86]

They could probably just touch it up but you will still be able to see where it is and it wouldn't look good at all. It would definitely look better if you repainted the whole liftgate. I have not had great experiences touching up. The color never seems to match the rest of the car!

 

[gyme]

They could probably just touch it up but you will still be able to see where it is and it wouldn't look good at all. It would definitely look better if you repainted the whole liftgate. I have not had great experiences touching up. The color never seems to match the rest of the car!

I was afraid that would be the case.

Anyone had this done and have an idea of ballpark cost?

 

[TranceKrayz]

same thing happened to mine, but it was only an inch. i also had deep scratches on my fender from i don't know what, but i took it to my dealer. they have a guy that comes in and touches up their cars. all he did was wet sanded it and then buffed out the scratch. looks great now.

oh yea...it costed me around 50 bucks

 

[bryancos]

Gyme,
I had mine touched up with an airbrush from a place called AEROCOLOURS... they typically do touchup work on dealer lots, etc. My 4R is black and according to them, lighter colors are easier to match than darker colors. White being the easiest.

They have franchises all over the U.S....

http://www.aerocolours.com/ and click on LOCATIONS

Or: http://www.aerocolours.com/locations.html

According to the site, the person in Leesberg, VA where you're at is: Leesburg Khalil Sherwani (703) 932-9009

The other half hit the garage door opener button to close it while the tailgate was still up.... The touchup was about $45. It was still a little visible so I pinstripped the section (on the crease) to camoflage the area. Can't even find it now.

 

[bluewolf]

As you've described it, the scratch sounds as though it's very minor, and in a very inconspicuous location too (not like on the hood or right in the middle of a door). If you're looking for different opinions, I would touch it up and try to forget about it! I know, I know, it's your new rig and you'll notice it a lot for a while, but believe me... nobody else will care! The way I see it, it's a TRUCK first and foremost, and the sooner you get a couple of boo boos, the more relaxed you can be with the vehicle.

NO WAY would I spend my hard earned money re-painting the entire lift-gate to fix one little 1/2" scratch... unless of course you're wealthy, of which I know very little about.

 

[94yotarunner]

Gyme,
I had mine touched up with an airbrush from a place called AEROCOLOURS... they typically do touchup work on dealer lots, etc. My 4R is black and according to them, lighter colors are easier to match than darker colors. White being the easiest.

They have franchises all over the U.S....

http://www.aerocolours.com/ and click on LOCATIONS

Or: http://www.aerocolours.com/locations.html

According to the site, the person in Leesberg, VA where you're at is: Leesburg Khalil Sherwani (703) 932-9009

The other half hit the garage door opener button to close it while the tailgate was still up.... The touchup was about $45. It was still a little visible so I pinstripped the section (on the crease) to camoflage the area. Can't even find it now.

Thanks for the tip. I'm talking to them about touching up some small rust spot in the paint and other little scratches and so forth.

 

[bryancos]

Let us know the costs for your quote... be interested to know if the fees are pretty standard across the US or not...